Lowan Vale farmer Shaun Wayne Taylor appears in court for bestiality sentencing submissions

This SA farmer might be a ‘useful member of the community’ – but the dark secret he kept hidden for years has finally come out in court.

A farmer from SA’s South-East who committed bestiality with animals on his 750-acre property developed the gross obsession at a young age, a court has heard.

Shaun Wayne Taylor, 49, from Lowan Vale near Bordertown, appeared in the District Court for sentencing submissions on Wednesday after pleading guilty to one count of commit bestiality.

James Marcus, for Taylor, told Judge Gordon Barrett a term of imprisonment was accepted, but submitted that suspension of the sentence was “the appropriate outcome”.

“What Your Honour has is a man who, for a very long period of time, was engaging in behaviour that had become normalised to him,” Mr Marcus said.

“Mr Taylor is otherwise what might fairly be described as a useful, hardworking member of the community.

Shaun Wayne Taylor appeared in the District Court on Wednesday. Picture: Facebook

“Ultimately, Your Honour has before you a man who has, for a lifetime, laboured under difficult circumstances. He established behaviour which he hid from others and carried on for a long time without ever having any sort of intervention.

“In my submission, if Your Honour does wish to give Mr Taylor a second chance, Your Honour can have some confidence he won’t abuse it.”

Mr Taylor was arrested by detectives from the Special Crimes Investigation section on December 22, 2023 after an examination of his electronic devices by police during an unrelated investigation.

He was granted bail upon his arrest and appeared in court in February earlier this year where he sought a change to his bail conditions, which deemed he was not permitted to be near, so he could “look after” them.

Taylor will return to court on Friday for sentencing.

Originally published as Lowan Vale farmer Shaun Wayne Taylor appears in court for bestiality sentencing submissions